Month: June 2013

On Sunday I officially got one step closer to leaving my 20’s behind. I decided for my 29’th birthday I wanted to keep the celebrations small and just enjoy quality time with my family. This honestly was one of the best birthdays I have had! Although I love a good shaker, sometimes its nice to just relax and spend time with those closest and dearest to your heart ( they also help ease the pain of getting older.) Instead of the traditional birthday dinners or cake, I decided to cook brunch for my family and finish it off with some amazing gluten free scones. These past couple months I have really put some serious time into bettering my health not only for me but for the longevity of my family. So I decided, why not kick off my 29’th birthday with making a positive change and trying something different. Not only was brunch amazing (it’s my favourite meal) the scones were the perfect touch to my last cup of Java! Yes in honor of turning 29 and bettering my health, I decided to give up coffee..why in the world would a mother of two small children do something insane like this? Well I have asked myself that same question many times this week, and as the caffeine fog starts to clear, I am gaining clarity. The reason I decided to take on this task was due to some research I had started to do on the negative effects of high levels of Estrogen in the body. I know for a fact that my Estrogen levels are higher then desired because I have my blood checked every couple of months to make sure my Thyroid levels are good. When our Estrogen levels are too high it can cause some pretty negative effects on the body including, weight gain. Symptoms include joint pain, cramps, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, high cholesterol, mood swings, sugar cravings and it slows down the effects of your weight training. It is scientifically proven that 1 cup of coffee a day can lead to a 70% spike in your estrogen causing your hormones to severely fluctuate and cause you to store fat in your stomach and lower body. For years I have been told that drinking caffeine is not beneficial for my Hypo-Thyroid and after having Bennett I started to get a feelings of anxiety from one cup on certain occasions. With all this research coming at me I decided it was time to call it quits! I no longer want to kill myself when I training only to pump estrogen back into my body which is doing nothing but slowing down the effects of my training and hard work. If you’renot ready to give up that warm cup of java here are some helpful tips on lowering your Estrogen!

1. Digest your food properly. You are not what you eat- you are what you eat, digest and assimilate. It is important that the nutrients you ingest are being properly absorbed. Foods that are cooked or processed are often lacking in important enzymes that can impact how nutrients are being used by your body.

2. Eat your veggies. Cruciferous vegetables such as Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and spinach can help your body to eliminate bad estrogens. Broccoli is my personal favorite as it contains indoles which are known to help fight cancer and improve your livers ability to rid your body of estrogen. The best way to eat your broccoli is lightly steamed- not boiled to mush. Your broccoli should be crunchy tender. I also recommend you choose organic whenever possible.

3. Eat more Wasabi. Wasabi root contains Diidolymethane or Dim. Dim is the active form of indole 3 carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables. Dim helps to prevent aromatase which is the conversion of testosterone to fat storing estrogens.

5. Drink filtered water. A good quality water filtration system can help minimize the amount of estrogen you are being exposed to through the water you drink. Consider a filter for your shower as well.

6. Select alternate forms of birth control. Birth control pills will have an effect on female estrogen levels.

8. Lift more weights. Swap two (or more) days of cardio for resistance training. Lifting weights has a positive impact on your testosterone, growth hormone and estrogen levels while excessive cardio will have the opposite effect.

Small changes, repeated over time can have a big effect. The items on this list are safe and effective ways for you to kick start your fat loss goals for the coming year and finally lose that stubborn body fat.

Today we officially gave up pull-ups! McCarthy had been doing so well with potty training, but with traveling comes bad habits and the lazy days of pull-ups. Today, with the advice and support of some wise woman in my life (thanks Mel), I pulled the plug on the security blanket we call “pull-ups.” McCarthy rock’d the day for the most part and even stayed dry during nap time. But as you will see in the photos below, once it was Friday night park time, the fun of the slides and hanging with Daddy quickly took over and dry pants were forgotten. The end of the day included outfit changes and many tears due to the pause in play time. Although I may have some wet days ahead of me, I’m relieved that the crutch has been removed!

Have a happy and dry weekend:)

My passion and dedication to my work comes from a very personal place. I am determined to see woman freed from the lies and destructive lifestyles that are plaguing them. My goal is for women around the world to reach beyond what they thought they were capable of, live a healthy lifestyle and discover true happiness in their bodies.